He will never be a good defensive player or rebounder. He will not improve his teammates.

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Leo [ February 16th, 2006, 1:36 am ]

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What makes little sense is James could have easily been resigned by the Pistons. But Dumars choose not go over the cap to retain him. Then he trades a first round pick for Carlos Arroyo who had a contract that was bigger than what they would have had to pay James.

Now if they trade that pick for James, Joe would have given up two first round picks for a player he let walk in the place.

Maybe Joe isn't the genius we all think he is.

I remember Jack McCloskey couldn't make a good move to save his life after winning the Pistons first championship.

Author:

Touchdown Jesus [ February 16th, 2006, 9:48 am ]

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Leo wrote:

What makes little sense is James could have easily been resigned by the Pistons. But Dumars choose not go over the cap to retain him. Then he trades a first round pick for Carlos Arroyo who had a contract that was bigger than what they would have had to pay James.

Now if they trade that pick for James, Joe would have given up two first round picks for a player he let walk in the place.

Maybe Joe isn't the genius we all think he is.

I remember Jack McCloskey couldn't make a good move to save his life after winning the Pistons first championship.

Since when is Mike James such a great player to be worth giving up a 1st round pick for him? I don't remember him being anything spectacular. He's a solid backup at best, and there are plenty of those types of players out there.

I think it's crazy to criticize Joe D. for a move that hasn't even been made. The only place I've even seen Mike James mentioned is here, so it may not even be on Joe's radar. Sheesh, don't jump to conclusions so fast people...

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the Detroit Pistons have acquired a future first round draft choice and center Kelvin Cato from the Orlando Magic in exchange for center Darko Milicic and guard Carlos Arroyo.

"We feel like this is a good trade for our team and gives our organization flexibility as we move forward this season and in the future," said Dumars. "We appreciate the professionalism and effort that both Darko and Carlos displayed on and off the court while here with the Pistons. Darko is a young player and I think he's going to get an opportunity to play in Orlando. I wish him the best going forward."

Cato, 31, appeared in 23 games with the Magic this season, averaging 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game. He missed 26 games this season overall. In 519 NBA games, Cato has averaged 5.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game with Portland, Houston and Orlando. The former Iowa State product has recorded 29 career double-doubles and in Rockets' franchise history, he ranks third all-time in field goal percentage and fourth all-time in blocks. He has recorded NBA career highs of 27 points (12/18/99 vs. Boston) and 15 rebounds (4/1/00 vs. Atlanta).

Arroyo, 26, was acquired last season by the Pistons in exchange for Elden Campbell and a future lottery-protected first round draft pick on January 21, 2005. In 50 games with the Pistons this season, he averaged 3.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 12.0 minutes per game. In 272 career games with Toronto, Denver, Utah and Detroit, Arroyo averaged 6.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 17.3 minutes per game. He became the fifth player from Puerto Rico to play in the NBA when he debuted with the Toronto Raptors in 2001-02.

Milicic, 20, was drafted by the Pistons with the second overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He appeared in 25 games (no starts) this season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.6 minutes per game. In his three NBA seasons with Detroit, Milicic averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 96 games. He became the youngest player ever to appear in an NBA Finals game (18 years/356 days) when the Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. Milicic appeared in 17 career playoff games with Detroit.

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Yorick [ February 16th, 2006, 10:12 am ]

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"Maybe Joe isn't the genius we all think he is. "

You cannot argue with success. Still, there is no ignoring that Dumars made more than a few mistakes. If he had drafted Wade we would be a dynasty right now. You can say "hindsight", but that is what these guys are getting paid for. Miami knew about Wade and drafted him earlier than many people thought.

Also, it is amazing how in the NBA people still put too much emphasis on height. You would think after Jordan they would have wised up.

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theAlphaMale [ February 16th, 2006, 10:58 am ]

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Jordan is 6-6? How is their an issue with his height?

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Yorick [ February 16th, 2006, 12:09 pm ]

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GMs love the big guys because good ones are so rare. Jordan was drafted third over all as I recall correctly, even though he was acknowledged as the most skilled athelete in his class. Dumars' logic in drafting Darko was the same- it was so hard to find a skilled big man. Kind of similiar to . . . it is so hard to find a franchise QB so I will draft Joey.

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Colei13 [ February 20th, 2006, 11:01 am ]

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i dont know if drafting wade makes us a dynasty. i dont see wade being that much better than chauncey. how many games has chauncey won late and came up big for the pistons. wade is not a great jump shooter, he most likely doesnt make alot of those shots. there is no denying that wade is a star, but where does he play. the pistons starting five is the best for a reason. they all do different things that help this team win.

Joe D. has done a great job. Darko was a fantasy player. Darko was looked to be the next Dirk, the pistons could afford to make that attempt, it didnt happen but they won the championship anyway and were real close last year, on pace to make it there again this year. hard to say this isnt a dynasty now. too many stars on one team can be a bad thing. just like an egotistical head coach, larry brown. Joe makes the moves he needs to keep this team going.

the draft of Tayshon, 23rd in the first round is plenty of enough redemption for a failed darko.

Also, Leo how do you know that it was Dumars choice to not go over the cap, that is not his decision, that goes on the owner, an owner who doesnt want to pay heavy luxury taxes and keep two franchises going.

Its pretty hard to criticize anything in the Piston organization.

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TADOne [ February 20th, 2006, 1:55 pm ]

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Colei13,

I couldn't agree with you more. About the only person from that draft that would have helped us out of the top picks was Chris Bosh, and he took 2 years before he realized his potential. At the time of the draft the only other player we were considering was Carmelo, but Joe didn't want him because he was happy with Tayshaun, and for good reason. Carmelo would not have been a good fit for this team because he needs the ball to be effective and we strive because all of our guys are unselfish and do not care who takes the shots or gets the credit. You cannot put a price on team chemistry. Joe took a chance on potential and failed. Big deal. We still made the last 2 finals. Plus next years draft is looking pretty deep at this point and we should make out ok.